The first 3 years of a long-term program to build more effective collaboration between urban public universities and school districts are reviewed. The sponsor, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, focused on building more effective communication and working relationships between the university chief executive officer and school superintendents. University and school chief executives of five cities met to identify common issues and problems and to develop an action agenda to reduce transition problems of urban high school graduates as they enter college or the workforce. The university and school officials in the participating cities convened a joint task force of senior staff from both institutions to review current collaborative programs and to plan for joint activity. Private foundations supported the effort. Among the factors associated with improved collaboration were both commitment and support of the chief executive officers and designation of institutional staff resources for the collaboration. In addition to discussing the expansion of the program in 1984, brief descriptions are provided of initial collaborative activities in Detroit, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Boston, Birmingham, Kansas City, and Oakland. (SW)